Battlefield Hardline DLC And Premium Announced

Battlefield Hardline, just like the past two BF games, will receive several DLC packs after launch. Today Visceral Games outlined their exact plans for the game's expansions.

Visceral plans to release four expansions over the next year, as this weekend's leak had suggested. Here's a brief summary of each along with their release window:

• Criminal Activity – Players have to make a name for themselves in fast-paced, highly-destructible new maps littered with small-time crime jobs. Available summer 2015.
• Robbery – Take down the opposition head on and progress through key locations with major cinematic action. Available summer 2015.
• Getaway – This is frantic, high-speed chases that immerse players deeper in the heist. Available fall 2015.
• Betrayal – There is a rat in every operation and players will have to find out who to trust. Available winter early 2016.

The Betrayal DLC sounds interesting. It sounds a bit like Kane & Lynch 2's multiplayer, which allowed players to betray their fellow criminals so they could escape with more loot. This idea made team-killing - usually an aggravating part of multiplayer shooters - into something fun. It's great that Hardline will be adding a similar mode to its multiplayer, though it's too bad we'll have to wait about a year for it.

Players can buy these expansion packs individually if they want. They can also purchase them all at once with Battlefield Hardline Premium. Premium includes all four expansions along with the following perks:

• Two weeks early access to all expansion packs
• 12 Gold Battlepacks
• New personalization options including gun camos, ammo skins, and more Battlefield Hardline Premium exclusive in-game items
• Access to double-XP, in-game missions, and more Battlefield Hardline Premium exclusive events
• Priority position in server queues

These perks are pretty much what Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 Premium members received. However, with Hardline, Visceral went one step further and offered some exclusive features to Premium members as well. They can acquire masks for their character with "unique gameplay benefits." A Gun Bench allows them to customize their weapons' appearance and track their stats with each one. Premium-only tournaments and ladders will let players test their skills. Once they've maxed out their progression, Premium members can become "Legendary" and replay these grinds.

Battlefield Hardline Premium is priced at $50, the same amount as Battlefield 4 Premium. That strikes me as a little odd, considering Hardline has one fewer expansion than BF4. I suppose there's a chance that Hardline's DLC packs might be larger than BF4's though.

Whether it's actually a good idea to buy Hardline Premium is another story. The prolonged launch issues for Battlefield 4 should make everyone wary of not only buying the next game on day one but also pre-purchasing all of its DLC. It's a good idea to hold off on either purchase until you find out the servers aren't a complete mess.